To Falter in His Eyes
by Lame-O v2.0
Summary: An annual meeting at Cumberland to discuss the state of the Circles of Thedas has more on their agenda than just politics. The darkspawn approach, and a promising, yet impassioned, pupil is torn between her faith and her conscience. Multiple pairings.


Hello everyone. This is my first DA fanfic and I'm pretty excited about it. I was content on just being a ghost reader for the DA fics, but an idea just kept gnawing at me for a few weeks so I jotted it down. And, here it is. Criticism and all that jazz is welcome, but the most important thing is that you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. =)

I don't own DA or any of the characters, sad to say. I wish Leliana was mine just so I could hear her sing. Damn Orlesians, why must they be so seductive?

* * *

_Foul and corrupt are you_  
_Who have taken My gift_  
_And turned it against My children._

_-Transfigurations 18:10_

"She needs to be made Tranquil, her emotions are a hindrance to her ability of properly controlling magic!"

"Sweeney, perhaps your loyalist bipartisan allows you to ignore the fact that her raw abilities alone could aid the battle against the imminent darkspawn invasion?"

"This is hardly a blight, Torrin. The numbers of darkspawn are rising at a much slower rate than previously seen 4,000 years ago."

"I'm not so sure, Sweeney. Numbers may be rising slowly, but they are becoming an ever present nuisance in The Wilds. Precautions must be taken, and that young girl's prowess with magic, idly demonstrated numerous times with our interference, would be beneficial not only to the blight, but as a representation of Ferelden's Circle for autonomy."

"Uldred! I've had enough of your feckless attempts to garner independence! Chantry laws, sanctioned by the Maker himself, admonish such ideas. Or have you forgotten who is really in control here?"

"Gergoir, please, calm yourself..." warned an anxious First-Enchanter Irving.

"Who is in control? You're talking about the Maker, I presume? Or are you talking about you and the other Templars and how you repeatedly beat down the civil liberties of the Circle?"

"Now Uldred, please, hush…" begged Senior Enchanter Wynne, attempting to restore neutrality.

"You are MAGES! You HAVE no civil liberties!" Knight-Commander Gregoir burst, slamming a clenched steel-clad fist on the wooden table.

"I agree with Uldred, we need more mages like Azura as leaders of a new generation. She's a good girl; and pious to boot. She'd be an excellent choice that even the Chantry would approve of."

"Leorah, the only reason you believe that is because she is Elven, and we all know it."

"You templar fool! Why would you even suggest that race played a part of this? How dare you make those accusations!" roared Senior Enchanter Torrin, glaring up at the sudden intrusion into the argument.

"He is simply thinking of Ferelden's best interest, as am I, and I will NOT allow this meeting to commence any longer. We are to leave Cumberland with the Ferelden branch Templars such as Cullen and myself, and return to Kinloch Hold immediately."

"I suppose the council is to be dismissed, then?" asked Irving reluctantly to the Arch-Enchanter of Thedas.

The Arch-Enchanter curved his head towards Ferelden's First-Enchanter, and although his eyes were covered by a forest green rag, Irving could feel a gaze that seemed to pierce through his frail body.

Templars swarmed into the council chambers like vultures about to feast on a carcass: their predatory eyes swept over the various mages, waiting for any sign of revolt so that they could be put down quickly.

The Arch-Enchanter did not speak through traditional means. But Irving heard. Irving heard his answer clearly:

**IT IS TIME.**

The other head mages of the various nations heard as well, and all silently filed out of the chamber doors, escorted by the Templars of Thedas.

As they walked out into the brisk Nevarrian air, Irving could only look down in dismay.

"_I hope you know what you are doing, Arch-Enchanter…"  
_

_-  
_

"Will you wake up already? Training started half an hour ago, and here you are, relishing your time in the Fade while your mentor is freezing his Gods-given rump out there on the roof trying to help you become a sufficient spellcaster!"

"Mother, will you wander elsewhere, please? I'm trying to sleep."

"Child, don't you speak to me in that tone! Why go elsewhere in the Fade when I can visit you in this section?"

"Just because you have forsaken the Maker with your 'Dalish tribe location' expeditions and are now forced to wander doesn't mean that you are forced to wander near me. Now please, leave me to rest in peace."

"I will leave you alone once you wake."

"But mo—"

"No 'buts'! Now, wake up and go train with Niall."

Eyelids lifted, and the veil vanished. Opalescent eyes gained a view of the natural world at last and all its tangible objects. Back to reality. Azura rubbed her eyes and quickly left the apprentice quarters to reach Niall on the rooftop. She reached the door to the Templar's quarters.

"Azura? You're late. Please proceed to through and do not keep Enchanter Niall waiting any longer." ordered a seemingly bored templar.

With no answer, chestnut hair whipped past the templars and went onto the next floor. She finally reached the rooftop. Niall was indeed there, standing along the banister which leveled out at his chest. He rested his hands on top, eyes hazily tracing each wave Lake Calenhad made.

"Finally, I was questioning whether you were going to get out of bed this time." he stated, without averting his gaze.

Azura took a step across the gray bricks that lined the roof. They were cold. In her haste to meet Niall, she had forgotten to put on her cotton foot linings.

"You don't need to come any closer; we are not going to train today, or any other day for that matter. I just want you to stand there and listen to what I have to say."

"Niall, if you're upset about my tardiness, I apologize profusely." a distraught Azura stated while bowing.

"Please, y-you can't just stop my training."

Niall sighed and turned around facing her, bags underlined his worried eyes and wrinkles seemed to appear overnight on the young enchanter's forehead, aging him 30 years.

"No, it's not that. It's…" Niall stopped speaking and the wrinkles came together in a furrow, aligning with his eyebrows in a systematic fashion.

"First-Enchanter Irving and the other senior enchanters will be arriving shortly from Nevarre, and I feel only trouble accompanies them."

"What are you talking about, Niall?"

"I-I do not know exactly. But I know you are relevant to the situation."

The color from Azura's face exited and a pale whiteness soon surfaced. Trembling, she tucked a stray brown lock behind ear, resting her fingers on the tip before bringing them back down to her side. Niall continued, "They have been watching you. Subtly testing you. When a mage has been disciplined enough, they are able to gauge arcane propensity. When you were gauged upon enter the Circle Tower, it was…distressing, mainly to the First-Enchanter. At first it was nothing to be worried about…"

Azura began to sweat. It followed a random path down her face, to her neck, in schools of ten. Some dripped from off of her nose, onto the rooftop, splattering upon impact. Then, disappearing into the cracks, never to be seen again. "At first?" she was able to choke out. Her emotions were toying with her again, making her feel uneasy, and uncertain. They were making her more upset than the situation required. They were taking over again, and she could not hold back the tears.

Niall stood, unblinking, eyes still transfixed by Lake Calenhad. "…Yes. They feel your…nature, will make you more susceptible to demonic possession." He glanced over at Azura looking for a physical response.

She had turned her back towards her mentor, but he didn't need to see her face to know her reaction. Her shoulders were trembling, and soft sobs were audible, barely, but nonetheless heard. Niall continued, "As you are no doubt already aware, most of the Senior Enchanters and Irving left with a score of templars to Cumberland to meet with the other Circles. I do not doubt you were briefly mentioned."

"But why? I don't understand…" Azura asked meekly, hands crossing her chest gripping the opposite sleeves.

Niall smiled weakly, "Your guess is as good as mine. Lets go back inside, I'm sure you're probably hungry."

In truth, Azura didn't feel hungry after all of this. She couldn't figure out what she ever did. She followed all of the rules, did what was asked of her, studied until her brain felt like it was going to explode. _"Niall never said it was anything horrible, he never said they were going to have the templars execute me, or lock me away, or…anything. He only said they talked about me for a little while. There's no harm in that…"_ she convinced herself it was nothing important.

She proceeded to the apprentice quarters, and went back to lie on her bunk. She shifted a bit and closed her eyes, trying to forget this morning's most recent events. It didn't take long for her to be disturbed again, this time from a rather annoying dark-haired apprentice.

"Hey, Azura, hey, wanna come grab a bite to eat with me and Lilly? We were going to go to the library to read a little bit on the history of magic in Orlais. It's actually a lot more interesting than most other places, aside from Tevinter of course." Jowan flashed his signature smile, white teeth coming into view. A slight overbite kept his smile from seeming uniform, and small, dark coarse hairs surrounded his mouth from a few days of forgetting to shave. However, he looked a little tired. Nowhere near Niall, but enough that it was noticeable. It seems everyone in the Circle is tired these days, but whether it was from everyday life of casting spells for constant study, or something more, Azura could not be certain.

She might as well make the most of her day, seeing as how Niall would not be training her any longer. She understood why; she was a liability. If something were to go wrong, if what Niall had told her was true, then he would be just as much to blame as her, and probably be cut down by Gregoir without hesitation. Shaking the thought out of her mind, she looked up at Jowan, "Um, alright, sure, is Lilly currently meditating?"

"Yeah, she is, she'll be done in a few minutes I'm sure. We should wait for her and then go get our food. You know she got a haircut recently? She looks so beautiful…I mean, not that she didn't before, but you know. How I ended up so lucky I'll never know."

Jowan's face lit up just thinking about her, they've been seeing each other for some time, in secret. Chantry initiates are forbidden to be involved with mages, and when Jowan told Azura that he and Lilly were meeting during the dead of night, she was reluctant to accept it. If they were to be found out, there's no telling what the consequences would be for them, or her, for her association; she was frightened. But the pair grew on Azura; the brushing of their hands when they were to share something, the quick chaste kisses Lilly always gave him when she thought no one would looking, the way Jowan looked at her, and she at him. It made Azura's heart swell, partly with envy, that love could transcend the thick walls of the tower.

Jowan had his faults, just like any other. He's very chatty, and it's difficult to get him to shut up at times. He can't cast anything beyond a basic spell, and he has trouble remaining tactful when the situation calls for such. _"It adds to his charm, I guess." _Azura thought as she got up put on her foot linings, and followed Jowan down the hall and up the stairs.


End file.
